The man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida pleaded not guilty on Monday.
Ryan R. entered the federal courtroom in West Palm Beach handcuffed in a tan jumpsuit and waved his hands at reporters gathered to watch the proceedings. With shackles on his wrists and ankles, the suspect answered “yes, your honor,” when the judge asked him if he was aware of the charges against him.
He requested a trial by jury.
The case has been assigned at random to Judge Aileen Cannon — a Trump appointee who threw out criminal proceedings against the former president earlier this year over his retention of classified documents at his private residence.
Suspect’s movements tracked
Authorities say the 58-year-old spent 12 hours camped outside Trump’s golf course before Secret Service spotted him with a rifle on September 15.
FBI analysis of the suspect’s cell phone showed he had been in Florida since August 18, and his devices were located several times between that date and September 15 near Mar-a-Lago, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors have said the accused, a struggling roofing contractor, intended to kill the former president.
Earlier this month, the US Justice Department announced that the gunman had been indicted on charges that included the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, a charge which carries a potential life sentence upon conviction.
Previous assassination attempt
From this assassination bid, Trump emerged unharmed, unlike a a previous effort in July.
The US Secret Service said the Florida shooter never had a line of sight on the presidential candidate and that they had identified him while scouting ahead of Trump on the golf course.
The assassination attempt was thwarted when a US Secret Service agent saw the suspect’s rifle barrel protruding through the fence, ahead of where Trump was playing, authorities say. The agent fired in the direction the potential assassin, who initially fled before being arrested in a neighboring county.
The shooter in an earlier attempt in July, who grazed Trump’s ear with one bullet, was shot at the scene as law enforcement returned fire and died of his wounds.
jsi/msh (AFP, Reuters, AP)
